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TURKEY REITERATES 'GAZA CONDITION' DURING TALKS IN JERUSALEM
Today's Zaman
May 4 2010
Turkey
Ankara's long-held stance of making a return to normal bilateral
relations conditional on concrete steps by Israel to end the
months-long humanitarian tragedy in Gaza as well as a sign of
willingness to revive peace efforts in the Middle East has dominated
the agenda of a senior-level regular meeting between Israeli and
Turkish leaders that was held in Jerusalem over the weekend.
A delegation led by Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu, undersecretary at
the Turkish Foreign Ministry, and the Israeli delegation led by Foreign
Ministry Director-General Yossi Gal gathered at the Israeli Foreign
Ministry in Jerusalem on Sunday for the 14th "political consultation"
meeting between the two countries' foreign ministries.
Sinirlioglu's special counsel, Mehmet Kemal Bozay; Turkey's incoming
Ambassador to Israel Kerim Uras; his predecessor, current Ambassador
Oguz Celikkol; and Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy also
participated in the almost four-hour-long meeting.
"Two fundamental messages were conveyed to the Israeli side during
the meeting. The first was about the fact that all peace processes
regarding the Middle East, including the failed Annapolis [Conference]
process that began in late 2007, were lively ahead of the Gaza attack.
None of them are functioning at the moment, and all of those processes
should be restarted simultaneously," Turkish diplomatic sources told
Today's Zaman on Monday.
"The second message was of course the vital need for improvement
on the ground in Gaza," the same sources, speaking on condition of
anonymity, added.
Turkey, a member of the NATO defense pact, has a history of military
cooperation with Israel and of mediating for the Jewish state with the
Arab world. But ties have been shaken by a series of harsh and public
criticism from both sides, culminating in Jerusalem in January in a
televised reprimand of Turkey's Ambassador Celikkol. A recent vote by
the Knesset giving the first go-ahead for a discussion on Armenian
genocide claims was also on agenda of the talks, with the Turkish
side firmly warning the Israeli side about the probable negative
consequences if the issue proceeds any further.
In brief remarks, Sinirlioglu, speaking to the Anatolia news agency in
Jerusalem, said on Sunday that the talks have been positive, adding
that the next regular meeting will be held in Ankara, probably in
November. "During the discussions, which were held in a positive
and warm atmosphere, the two sides reiterated the importance of
the relationship to both countries," the Israeli Foreign Ministry,
meanwhile, said in a written statement. The talks dealt with "a
range of bilateral and regional issues and the peace process," the
statement added.
The Israeli side reiterated its willingness to host Davutoglu on an
official visit to Israel, Today's Zaman learned from sources involved
in the talks. Yet, the Turkish side refrained from giving a definite
affirmative answer to the invitation, the same sources said.
Today's Zaman
May 4 2010
Turkey
Ankara's long-held stance of making a return to normal bilateral
relations conditional on concrete steps by Israel to end the
months-long humanitarian tragedy in Gaza as well as a sign of
willingness to revive peace efforts in the Middle East has dominated
the agenda of a senior-level regular meeting between Israeli and
Turkish leaders that was held in Jerusalem over the weekend.
A delegation led by Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu, undersecretary at
the Turkish Foreign Ministry, and the Israeli delegation led by Foreign
Ministry Director-General Yossi Gal gathered at the Israeli Foreign
Ministry in Jerusalem on Sunday for the 14th "political consultation"
meeting between the two countries' foreign ministries.
Sinirlioglu's special counsel, Mehmet Kemal Bozay; Turkey's incoming
Ambassador to Israel Kerim Uras; his predecessor, current Ambassador
Oguz Celikkol; and Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy also
participated in the almost four-hour-long meeting.
"Two fundamental messages were conveyed to the Israeli side during
the meeting. The first was about the fact that all peace processes
regarding the Middle East, including the failed Annapolis [Conference]
process that began in late 2007, were lively ahead of the Gaza attack.
None of them are functioning at the moment, and all of those processes
should be restarted simultaneously," Turkish diplomatic sources told
Today's Zaman on Monday.
"The second message was of course the vital need for improvement
on the ground in Gaza," the same sources, speaking on condition of
anonymity, added.
Turkey, a member of the NATO defense pact, has a history of military
cooperation with Israel and of mediating for the Jewish state with the
Arab world. But ties have been shaken by a series of harsh and public
criticism from both sides, culminating in Jerusalem in January in a
televised reprimand of Turkey's Ambassador Celikkol. A recent vote by
the Knesset giving the first go-ahead for a discussion on Armenian
genocide claims was also on agenda of the talks, with the Turkish
side firmly warning the Israeli side about the probable negative
consequences if the issue proceeds any further.
In brief remarks, Sinirlioglu, speaking to the Anatolia news agency in
Jerusalem, said on Sunday that the talks have been positive, adding
that the next regular meeting will be held in Ankara, probably in
November. "During the discussions, which were held in a positive
and warm atmosphere, the two sides reiterated the importance of
the relationship to both countries," the Israeli Foreign Ministry,
meanwhile, said in a written statement. The talks dealt with "a
range of bilateral and regional issues and the peace process," the
statement added.
The Israeli side reiterated its willingness to host Davutoglu on an
official visit to Israel, Today's Zaman learned from sources involved
in the talks. Yet, the Turkish side refrained from giving a definite
affirmative answer to the invitation, the same sources said.